California Long-Fin Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

What a California Long-Fin Angelfish actually is

The California Long-Fin Angelfish is a domestic colour and fin form of Pterophyllum scalare, the freshwater angelfish that Schultze named in 1823 and that sits in the cichlid family. It is not a species of its own. Silver, gold, koi, marble and California angelfish are all the same animal underneath the paintwork, which is why the advice on this page starts with the species and only then turns to the colour form. The word California tells you about the aquarium line, not about where the fish lives.

The clearest account of the name we have found comes from Aquarium Glaser, the German ornamental-fish importer. Glaser describes the California as a side line of the marbled angelfish that has been around for decades and gives "map angel" as another name for it. It also says, quite candidly, that nobody has traced where the name came from; a breeder in California who first marketed the fish is its best guess. Glaser adds that the California it handles has come only from European-bred stock. We would rather pass that uncertainty on to you than make up a pedigree.

Pattern is the reason people choose a California, and it is also the reason no two of them match. In Glaser's words, no two specimens look exactly the same, and that variety is what has made the line popular. Expect an irregular, map-like spread of dark and light areas over a tall, flattened body. Do not expect a copy of any picture you have seen elsewhere, because the balance of dark to light belongs to the individual fish.

The Long-Fin part comes from the abbreviation l.f. on our stock records, the usual trade shorthand for long-finned stock. The ordinary angelfish outline is already dramatic: Wikipedia describes the body as greatly compressed from side to side and rounded, with elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. A long-finned line carries that finnage further than the standard form does. We cannot promise a fin measurement for any one fish, and those long fins have practical knock-on effects for tank mates and decor that come up again and again below.

One fish per unit, in nine dispatch sizes

Every unit you add to the basket is one California Long-Fin Angelfish at the size you pick. The options run from 1 cm up to XXL, listed as over 7.5 cm, and they describe the fish on the day it leaves us, not the fish it will become. Our stock records do not say whether a band is measured to the base of the tail or to its tip, so read the figures as approximate dispatch sizes and allow for the ordinary spread you get in any batch of living animals.

The sex of the fish is not stated, and at these sizes nobody can state it honestly. Seriously Fish explains that males have smaller, pointed genital papillae, but that these usually show only while the fish are spawning. Wikipedia's article on the genus puts it more bluntly: it is very difficult to sex any individual accurately until it is nearly ready to breed. Two units therefore give you two angelfish, not a pair. If breeding is the long-term plan, Seriously Fish suggests starting with six juveniles and letting a pair form by itself, and FishBase notes that the species is kept in groups of five or more.

Whichever size you choose, buy the aquarium for the adult. A 1 cm angelfish still becomes a fish that needs a tall tank of about 200 litres; picking a small size changes the first few months, not the destination. The availability of each size is shown on the size selector, which is the only place to check it on the day you order.

Because the pattern is individual, we cannot hand-pick a fish to match a photograph or another California you already own. If one exact look matters a great deal, choose this fish for the line and its fins, and enjoy whatever pattern it brings.

The wild angelfish behind the California form

Wild Pterophyllum scalare belong to tropical South America. FishBase gives the range as the Amazon basin in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, along the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers, with further populations in rivers of Amapá in Brazil, the Rio Oyapock in French Guiana and the Essequibo in Guyana. Seriously Fish also lists Suriname. On the IUCN Red List the species is Least Concern, most recently assessed in November 2020.

FishBase describes adults living in swamps and flooded ground where aquatic and riverside vegetation grows thickly, in water that may be either clear or silty, and notes that the fish's colour is deeper in clear water. Wikipedia records natural pH from about 7.0 down to near 6.0 and temperatures from 26 to 30°C. Put those together and you get a picture of warm, fairly soft, plant-choked margins rather than open, fast channels, and Seriously Fish's aquarium advice follows the same lines: tall leafy plants and gentle water flow.

In the wild the species is a hunter of small things. Seriously Fish says wild fish feed mainly on zoobenthos, meaning small crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates, and Wikipedia's list adds the fry and juveniles of other fish, shrimps, worms, mosquito larvae and water bugs. Keep that menu in mind when you plan tank mates; a domestic angelfish has not forgotten what a small, bite-sized fish is for.

None of this means your fish came out of a river. Seriously Fish notes that wild angelfish are now rare in the hobby, and that the great majority are mass-produced in the Far East and Eastern Europe. The California is a selectively bred line, and our stock records do not state where this particular fish was raised, so we will not name a farm or a country. Generations in aquariums have made angelfish adaptable, yet the wild habitat still tells you what they do best in: warm, clean, stable water, plenty of upright cover and calm currents.

FishBase calls P. scalare one of the most popular of all tropical aquarium fish, and it is easy to see why when a settled group hangs in mid-water among tall plants. The California form adds a pattern that keeps changing as you look along the group, which is precisely why it suits a planted show tank rather than a bare one.

Tank size, height and layout for long fins

Angelfish measurements confuse people because the fish is taller than it is long. FishBase holds two length figures for the species: 10.5 cm total length in its size section, and a maximum of 15 cm total length in its biology notes. Seriously Fish gives a maximum standard length of 150 mm, which is body length without the tail, and says adults reach around 20 cm or more in height. We plan around a fish of roughly 15 cm long and at least 20 cm from dorsal tip to ventral tip. On a long-finned fish, treat that height as the minimum the tank has to accommodate, not as a generous allowance.

Seriously Fish recommends a base of 100 × 40 cm, about 200 litres, and a tall tank of at least 50 cm for adults. FishBase quotes a minimum aquarium size of 100 cm. Those are the figures we work to for this fish. A 200-litre tank that is long and shallow is the wrong shape; depth of water is what lets a grown angelfish turn, hover and carry its fins without dragging them across the substrate or bumping the surface.

Group size pushes the numbers up. Seriously Fish advises small groups and FishBase gives five or more individuals, so if you want a proper group of adults, 200 litres is the floor and a longer tank is kinder. Leave room for a spare cycled tank or a divider too. Angelfish do pair off, and a settled pair can make life difficult for the rest of the group.

For layout, take the cue from the wild habitat. Seriously Fish suggests tall, leafy plants such as Amazon swords, and that is a good start: a few broad-leaved plants and some upright, smooth bogwood at the back and sides give the fish places to hang and to break line of sight, while a clear lane through the middle gives them room to swim. Long fins catch on things, so check every ornament with your fingers. Sharp plastic plants, rough lava rock, splintered wood and narrow caves built for bottom-dwellers are all trouble for a fish with trailing fins.

Gentle flow, which Seriously Fish recommends for the species, matters all the more with long fins. Spread the filter return with a spray bar, or angle it against the glass, so you still get good surface movement for oxygen without pushing the fish around. If you keep the smallest sizes, fit a sponge over the filter intake until the fish have grown.

Water conditions: what the sources say and what we recommend

Our working range for this fish is 24–28°C, pH 6.0–7.8 and general hardness up to 15 dGH. That sits inside what the reference sources record for the species, and it is a comfortable band for a mixed community of tropical fish. The table shows where each figure comes from, so you can see the agreement and the small disagreements for yourself.

Wikipedia's article on the genus goes a step further and suggests an ideal of about 27°C with soft, acidic water below pH 6.5. That is a fair description of the wild conditions, but domestic angelfish are kept successfully across the broader ranges that FishBase and Seriously Fish give. What they do not cope with is constant change. A tank that sits steadily at 26°C and pH 7.2 is far better for them than one you keep nudging towards a textbook number with chemicals.

Test your tap water before the fish arrive: pH, general hardness and carbonate hardness. If your supply is much harder than 15 dGH, you can blend it with reverse-osmosis water to bring it down, but blend the same way every time so each water change matches the last. If you are unsure what your figures mean for this fish, email us the results and ask.

If your water company's report gives hardness in milligrams per litre as calcium carbonate rather than in dGH, convert it before you compare: one dGH is about 17.8 mg/l, so 15 dGH is roughly 270 mg/l. If your report shows a figure well above that, plan on blending, and do not try to fix it in one go once fish are in the tank.

The nitrogen cycle matters more than any of these numbers. The tank should be fully cycled before any fish go in, with ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate kept low by regular partial water changes. Match the temperature of new water to the tank, treat it with a dechlorinator, and use a separate thermometer rather than trusting the heater dial.

Long fins make any trouble easy to see. If you notice fraying, clamping or a dull, ragged look, test the water before you do anything else, because poor water is the first thing to rule out. Medicines cannot put right water that is making the fish ill.

Feeding: small portions and plenty of variety

Angelfish are omnivores with a strong taste for small animal foods. Seriously Fish says wild fish eat mainly small crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates, and that in the aquarium they take pellet or flake readily and relish live or frozen foods. Wikipedia adds that captive angelfish accept frozen, freeze-dried and live foods, naming bloodworm and brine shrimp among them.

That gives a simple routine. Use a good-quality flake or small pellet made for angelfish or tropical fish as the everyday staple, sized so the fish can swallow it without spitting it out. Two or three times a week, swap one meal for frozen brine shrimp or bloodworm, or for live foods if you have a clean source. Variety keeps the fish interested and helps you see at a glance whether every individual is eating.

Feed small portions, enough to be eaten in a couple of minutes, and remove anything left lying in the plants or on the substrate. Juveniles in the smaller size bands do best with little and often through the day, while adults are fine with one or two measured meals. Overfeeding is an easy way to spoil a healthy tank, because uneaten food fouls the water and long fins soon show the effects.

Watch who actually gets the food. Fast, greedy mid-water fish can strip a meal away before a long-finned angelfish has taken much. If one fish hangs back and grows thin, feed in two places at once or drop a little food near the angelfish's favourite spot. Do not solve the problem by tipping more into the tank.

That wild menu has one consequence you should not overlook. Wikipedia lists the fry and juveniles of other fish, and shrimps, among the foods wild angelfish take, and Seriously Fish warns that angelfish may eat small fish such as tetras. An adult California Long-Fin may treat anything that fits in its mouth as food, however well fed it is. Plan feeding and tank mates together.

Temperament, groups and tank mates

Seriously Fish sums up the species neatly: a generally peaceful cichlid that may squabble with its own kind, best kept in small groups, and a good community fish that may eat small fish such as tetras. It also reminds keepers that angelfish are still cichlids, so some aggression should be expected from time to time, and that males tend to be more aggressive and territorial. Wikipedia's article on the genus agrees that angelfish are generally peaceful when they are not breeding.

A group works better than a lone fish or a random pair. FishBase records the species being kept in groups of five or more, and in a group the inevitable squabbles are spread across several fish instead of falling on one. Give the group enough room, broken sightlines and more than one place to rest. If one fish is hounded constantly, pinned into a corner or kept away from food, move it to a spare tank; do not wait for the fins to show the damage.

Long fins narrow the list of safe companions. Seriously Fish describes the tiger barb as notorious for biting the fins of other fish, especially when too few are kept or space is tight, and says it does not make an ideal companion for timid, slow-moving or long-finned species, including many cichlids. For a long-fin angelfish that is a firm no, and the same caution applies to any fish known for nipping.

Good companions share a handful of traits. They are peaceful, too big to fit into an adult angelfish's mouth, comfortable at 24–28°C, and calm enough not to rush every feed. Peaceful bottom-dwelling fish that stay out of mid-water are often the easiest fit, because they use a different part of the tank. Small tetras, tiny rasboras, fry and ornamental shrimp are the opposite: sooner or later they are likely to be eaten.

Other angelfish are the obvious companions, as they are the same species whatever the colour. If you would like a mixed group, the California Angelfish is the same line without the long-fin label and the Map Angelfish carries the other trade name Glaser gives it, while the Bi-color Angelfish, l.f. is another long-finned line. The Marble Angelfish shows the marbled family the California comes from. Mixing colours does not change the social rules: add the group at the same time if you can, and allow room for pairs to form.

Pairs, spawning and why sexing is guesswork

Angelfish choose their own partners. Wikipedia states that all Pterophyllum species form monogamous pairs, and FishBase notes that males court females during the breeding season. That is why buying two fish and hoping is unreliable: the pair you want may not be the pair the fish want, and two juveniles of unknown sex may turn out to be the same sex. Starting with a group of juveniles, as Seriously Fish recommends, lets the fish sort it out.

A pair that has formed will clean a spawning site, usually a vertical surface. Seriously Fish mentions slate, broad-leaved plants and even the aquarium glass, while Wikipedia lists submerged logs, flattened leaves and, in aquariums, filter pipework. According to Wikipedia a spawn can run from 100 to more than 1,200 eggs. FishBase records that both parents guard the eggs, and Wikipedia describes the pair taking turns to fan them with their pectoral fins to keep water moving over them.

The eggs hatch within a few days. Wikipedia explains that the fry stay attached to the spawning site at first, living on the remains of their yolk sacs, and become free-swimming at about one week. Seriously Fish suggests newly hatched brine shrimp as the first food once the yolk has been used up.

Not every pair makes good parents. Wikipedia notes that P. scalare is relatively easy to breed, but that generations of inbreeding have left many domestic strains with little of their rearing instinct, so parents sometimes eat their eggs or young. Seriously Fish adds that a well-conditioned pair usually needs little help, but that eating fry is not unknown, and recommends keeping the parents well fed.

In a community tank a spawning pair changes character. Seriously Fish notes that males become more aggressive when breeding, and a pair guarding eggs will defend its site against the rest of the tank. If the defence becomes relentless, a divider or a separate breeding tank keeps the peace.

So we will be straight with you: we cannot tell you the sex of the fish you receive, we cannot promise that any two will pair, and we cannot promise fertility or a brood. What we can say, on the strength of these sources, is that a group of healthy juveniles in a suitable tank gives nature a fair chance.

Keeping the fins, and the fish, in good condition

Wikipedia notes that well-bred freshwater angelfish are known to live for about 12 years in captivity. That is a long commitment, and most of what keeps a California Long-Fin healthy over those years is unglamorous: stable warm water, a tank that suits its height, sensible feeding and companions that leave it alone.

The fins are your daily health check. A settled long-fin angelfish carries its fins open and flowing, holds itself upright, breathes at an even pace and comes forward at feeding time. Learn what normal looks like in the first fortnight, because the early signs of trouble are changes from that normal rather than anything dramatic.

Most problems in angelfish tanks start with the environment or with other fish, so test the water first and watch the tank for a while before reaching for a treatment. Do not mix remedies on a hunch, and follow each product's label exactly so you protect the filter as well as the fish. If a problem persists, ask an experienced fishkeeper or an aquatic vet, and tell them your test results.

A separate quarantine tank, cycled, heated and filtered, is the best protection for an established community. Keep new arrivals there for a few weeks, watch them eat and behave normally, and only then move them into the display tank. It also gives you somewhere to put a bullied fish or an over-protective pair at short notice.

With damaged fins, the cause must go before anything else. A long fin that keeps catching on the same ornament, or a tank mate that keeps nipping, will undo any recovery. Smooth decor, clean water and peaceful company are the real fin treatment.

Delivery, acclimation and the first week

Get the aquarium ready before you order. The filter should be running on a cycled tank, the water tested, and the temperature set to match the range above. Someone needs to be at the delivery address to receive the parcel, because live fish cannot be left on a doorstep. Please read our delivery and live-arrival information before you place the order.

Your angelfish travels in an oxygen-filled bag inside insulated packaging, with heat packs when the weather calls for them, and goes by a tracked courier licensed to carry live animals. We email you the confirmed delivery date and the tracking details.

When the parcel arrives, start a continuous unboxing video while the box is still sealed. Keep filming as you open it, in the same take, and show the fish in its still-sealed bag. If a fish arrives dead, dying or clearly in poor condition, email hello@tropicalfishco.co.uk on the day of delivery with your order number and that video. Photos on their own do not meet our live-arrival policy. The remedy is a replacement with your next order or a refund for the affected fish, subject to the guarantee terms.

To acclimatise, float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 20 to 30 minutes so the water temperatures match. Floating evens out temperature only, not pH or hardness, so if your water is very different from the ranges on this page, ask us for advice first. Then catch the fish gently with a soft net and move it across. Throw the bag water away; never pour it into your tank.

A long-finned fish deserves a little extra care at this stage. Use a net large enough that the fins are not folded or snagged, and lift the fish rather than chasing it round the bag. Keep the tank lights low for the rest of the day, and give it time to find its feet before you judge its colour or behaviour.

Over the first week, watch breathing, appetite and behaviour. Offer a small feed the following day and keep portions modest for several days. If you are adding the fish to a tank that already holds angelfish, watch the residents as closely as the newcomer; established fish may push a new arrival around while the pecking order resettles. Have the spare tank or divider ready in case the pressure does not ease.

Further reading

These are the sources we used for this guide. They are worth reading in full if you want more detail.

• FishBase: Pterophyllum scalare species summary for distribution, habitat, size, water ranges and breeding notes.
• Seriously Fish: Pterophyllum scalare profile for aquarium size, maintenance, diet, behaviour and reproduction.
• Wikipedia: Pterophyllum scalare for the wild habitat, natural water conditions and wild diet.
• Wikipedia: Freshwater angelfish for pair formation, spawning, fry development, sexing and lifespan across the genus.
• Aquarium Glaser: Pterophyllum "California" for the history and variability of the California line.
• Seriously Fish: tiger barb profile for why fin-nipping barbs and long-finned fish do not mix.